Jack



July 16, 1963 B. WALKER 3,097,826

JACK

Original Filed Dec. 16, 1957 INV EN TOR.

United States Patent 3,097,826 JACK Brooks Walker, 1280 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, Calif.

Original application Dec. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 703,213, new Patent No. 3,057,423, dated Oct. 9, 1962. Divided and this application Oct. 13, 1960, Ser. No. 62,350

4 Claims. (Cl. 254-93) This invention relates to improvements in hydraulic jacks for lifting motor vehicles. This application is a division of application Serial No. 703,213, filed Decem ber 16, 1957, now Patent No. 3,057,423, which was a continuation-impart of application Serial No. 405,920, filed January 25, 1954, and since abandoned.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a two-way hydraulic jack for lifting the car, with provisions for hooks on the end of a cylinder and the end of the piston rod or thereabouts which are adaptable to hook on chains, cables and the like, so that when the hydraulic actuator is retracted by hydraulic pressure a substantial pull can be provided to pull the car out of a mud hole or other trouble spot. The force available for this pull is approximately the same as is available for lifting the car and is probably in excess of a thousand pounds.

Other features of the invention are more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specification and claims. I have illustrated my invention by way of example in the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side angle view of a portion of a vehicle and a hydraulic jack embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional and diagrammatic view of a hydraulic circuit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view partially cut away showing a particular use for the jack of the invention.

In all figures like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts.

A jack 20 showin in FIG. 1 includes a hydraulic actuator 133 that operates a scissors mechanism 25 by one toggle 134 of the scissors 25 being attached to a piston rod 135 and the other toggle 136 being attached to a cylinder head extension 137 (see FIG. 2). The two lower arms 70 and 71 of the toggles 134 and 136 are of equal length andare pivoted to a bottom mount 72. Similarly, the two top arms 73 and 74 of the toggles 134 and 136 are of equal length and are pivoted to a top support 75. The top arms 73, 74 are pivoted to the bottom arms 70, 71 by pivots 76, 77, the horizontal rod or bar 135 being connected to the pivot 76 so as to provide a scissors-type jack '20 having pivoted parallelogram jacking arms with top, bottom, and horizontally opposite central pivots. The jack 20 engages the frame 11 under one side of the car to lift either one front wheel 6 or one rear wheel or both front and rear wheels on one side of the car, depending upon the fore and aft placement of a jack 20 relative to the distribution of weight on the frame and on the axle drop as it exists before the jack lift as caused by the springs, etc.

A mirror 138 is preferably provided on the jack 20, so that the operator looking down in the mirror 138 may see where to place the jack 20 to intercept the frame 11 at the desired location. As a further assistance the normal balance point 11a of the empty vehicle where the front and rear wheels will lift ofi the ground when lifted on the jack 20 at this point may be painted some distinguishing color.

A grip or hook 22 located at the end of the piston rod 135 and a book 21 located at [the end of the cylinder provide a means whereby the hydraulic cylinder which operates the jack 20 may also be used as a retracting device to pull the car out of the mud, etc., as shown in FIG. 3.

3,097,826 Patented July 16, 1963 "ice A valve is mounted on the jack 20 and has a control handle which rotates a plunger as described in my co-pending application Serial No. 703,213, filed December 16, 1957. This operates the valve 80 to control the jack 20. Other types of valves may be used.

Preferably, lines 53 and 54 are flexible and run between the jack and the point in the vehicle near where the jack was stored (e.g., in back of open door 10a of body 10), in a recess 200 under the floor boards, at a location 2011 under the hood 13 with the engine, or in the rear luggage compartment 12 at 20b. From any one of these storage places to a power steering pump 30 and power steering 40 either rigid or flexible power and return lines 53 and 54 may extend to complete the hydraulic circuit. The lines are long enough so that the jack may reach the frame where the Whole side of the car may be lifted, or they may be longer so that the jack may be used as a bumper jack or so that it may pull the car either from the front or rear of the car to provide a forward or backward pull.

In FIG. 3 I have shown an illustration of how a twovvay jack 20 may act as a powered come-along to pull the car forward so as to pull the car out of the mud by anchoring a flexible element such as a chain 28 to a tree or post or stake 2, driven in the ground 3, the other end of the chain 28 being attached to the hook 21. Another flexible element such as a chain 29 is attached to the vehicle and is engaged by the hook 22 which can pull the car forward out of the mud by retracting the piston rod forward of a hydraulic actuator cylinder 133 of the jack 20. After it has been pulled a certain distance, the chains 28 and 29 can then be re-engaged for pulling it further by another stroke of the piston or the actuator 133.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in'any sense limiting.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hydraulic jack comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a piston dividing said cylinder into two chambers, a scissors type jack having pivoted parallelogram jacking arms with top, bottom, and horizontally opposite central pivots, and a horizontal bar connected to said piston and connected to the said central pivot furthest from the cylinder for raising the jack by moving the two central pivots toward each other, and means for establishing hydraulic pressure in either said chamber, for positive action on both sides of said piston, the end of said cylinder distant from said jack having a first grip, said bar being provided with a second grip at its outer end and two separate flexible elements, each of said grips being adapted to engage one flexible element for serving as a power come-along to pull a vehicle when one of said grips is attached to said vehicle by one said flexible element and the flexible element connected to the other said grip is anchored to a suitable stationary object, said jack serving to support said cylinder and rod when said flexible elements are slack.

2. A hydraulic jack comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a piston dividing said cylinder into two chambers, a jack, a horizontal bar connected to said piston and connected to said jack for raising the jack, means for establishing hydraulic pressure in either said chamber, for positive action on each side of said piston, the end of said cylinder distant from said jack having a first grip, said bar being provided with a second grip at its outer end, and two separate flexible elements, each of said grips being adapted to engage one flexible element for serving as a power come-along to pull a vehicle when one of said' grips is attached to said vehicle by one said flexible element and the flexible element connected to the other said grip is anchored to a suitable stationary object, said jack serving to support said cylinder and rod when said flexible elements are slack.

3. A hydraulic device for use with an automobile power steering pump serving as a source of hydraulic pressure therefor, comprising a hydraulic cylinder having first grip means at one end thereof, a piston dividing said cylinder into two chambers and having a rod extending out through the opposite end of said cylinder from said first grip means, said rod having second grip means on its outer end, a bottom mount, two equal arms pivoted to said mount at their lower ends, one of said arms being pivoted at its upper end to said rod, the other of said arms being connected at its upper end to said cylinder for support of said cylinder and rod, means connected to said power steering pump for establishing positive hydraulic pressure alternatively in either chamber and relieving it in the other chamber, for positive action on both sides of said piston, and two separate flexible connecting means, one attached to each of said grips, whereby one said connecting means can be anchored and the other secured to said automobile to serve as a powered come-along.

4. A hydraulic jack capable of use as a come-along comprising a jack having a ground engaging support and raising and lowering means, a double acting hydraulic cylinder for actuating said jack and having a generally horizontal piston rod supported horizontally by said jack and attached to said raising and lowering means for actuation thereof, said piston rod having an outboard end extending beyond said jack, first grip means on said outboard end, and second grip means on said cylinder generally in line with the longitudinal center line of said piston rod so that inward motion of said piston rod into said cylinder both raises said jack and provides contraction between said first and second grip means, which thus acts as a come-along.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 840,876 Steedman Jan. 8, 1907 1,616,206 Twyman Feb. 1, 1927 1,924,477 Wulf Aug. 29, 1933 2,281,413 Chaffee et al. Apr. 28, 1942 2,567,681 Schwartz et al Sept. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 335,461 Germany Apr. 4, 1921 785,224 France May 13, 1935 

1. A HYDRAULIC JACK COMPRISING A HYDRAULIC CYLINDER, A PISTON DIVIDING SAID CYLINDER INTO TWO CHAMBERS, A SCISORS TYPE JACK HAVING PIVOTED PARALLELOGRAM JACKING ARMS WITH TOP, BOTTOM, A HORIZONTALLY OPPOSITE CENTRAL PIVOTS, AND A HORIZONTAL BAR CONNECTED TO SAID PISTON AND CONNECTED TO THE SAID CENTRAL PIVOT FURTHEST FROM THE CYLINDER FOR RAISING THE JACK BY MOVING THE TWO CENTRAL PIVOTS TOWARD EACH OTHER, AND MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING HYDRAULIC PRESSURE IN EITHER SAID CHAMBER, FOR POSITIVE ACTION ON BOTH SIDES OF SAID PISTON, THE END OF SAID CYLINDER DISTANT FROM SAID JACK HAVING A FIRST GRIP, SAID BAR BEING PROVIDED WITH A SECOND GRIP AT ITS OUTER END AND TWO SEPARATE FLEXIBLE ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID GRIPS BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ONE FLEXIBLE ELEMENT FOR SERVING AS A POWER COME-ALONG TO PULL A VEHICLE WHEN ONE OF SAID GRIPS IS ATTACHED TO SAID VEHICLE BY ONE SAID FLEXIBLE ELEMENT AND THE FLEXIBLE ELEMENT CONNECTED TO THE OTHER SAID GRIP IS ANCHORED TO A SUITABLE STATIONARY OBJECT, SAID JACK SERVING TO SUPPORT SAID CYLINDER AND ROD WHEN SAID FLEXIBLE ELEMENTS ARE SLACK. 